UPDATE 12-13-07 6:10PM: Bud Selig has promised swift disciplinary action concerning the Mitchell Report, but he says that it will be done on a "case-by-case basis." Former Sen. Mitchell spread the blame around pretty thoroughly in the report, putting it on Bud Selig, players, and management.
It is also worth noting that HGH was not banned by Major League Baseball until January 2005. Gagne's supposed HGH binge was in 2004, so one would think he would be clear of any disciplinary actions. The problem, however, is that Gagne broke federal law if he obtained HGH without a prescription. Since there is no urine test for HGH, it cannot be proven that Gagne did anything. Don't expect public opinion to give him any sympathy though...every player in the Mitchell Report will be considered guilty until proven innocent by the public, which is a shame.
P.S. Scott Boras is not happy about Gagne being accused. It makes for an entertaining read.
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Eric Gagne, the newest member of the Milwaukee Brewers, has been named as a recipient of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in the release of the Mitchell Report today. It has been speculated for several days that Gagne would be mentioned, but the Brewers signed him anyway. It sounds like Paul Lo Duca got him in contact with the right people when they were teammates with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Brewers have not made any public comment concerning this report, but I doubt anything's going to happen to Gagne. HGH is still not tested for in the MLB. I cannot imagine he would be suspended for something that cannot be tested for.
In separate news, Turnbow's failed drug test for the U.S. Olympic team has been illuminated in this report. It's pretty much a non-issue as andro was not banned at the time Turnbow was taking it, and he fully admitted to taking the performance-enhancing drug. It seems to be a non-issue.
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5 comments:
this could be a damaging blow perhaps. Even if Gagne is not suspended, he will be changing his routine on how he prepares himself as a major league pitcher, he will not be able to take the HGH as he has been in the past, he might still be as good but there is a possibility that his production will drop off from where he was. If nothing else he will be known as the lone Brewer on the list, and that will apply some pressure to him as it is, Gagne went from a good free agent signing to a fairly risky one just because of a 400 page report
My guess is Gagne hasn't been using HGH for a couple years now...ever since it's become a hot issue in baseball. I would be hesitant to say Gagne will not be as good without HGH, even though that does make a lot of sense.
What I was wondering was...what if the HGH caused his arm troubles? Perhaps he's going to be better off without it.
Even if he did really want to use it, MLB still doesn't test for it. He could easily continue usage if he felt so inclined.
Do you think he'll be suspended?
I doubt a suspension is likely just due to the fact that Mitchell in his report suggested that no penalites be levied. In addition, I feel the fact that HGH is not tested for, there is no way to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Gagne should and will not be suspended but he will be on watch
If you're into prolonged investigations and trials, this might be a good one because Bonds and Clemens have publicly denied that they used stuff. The other players could probably clear their record and be able to move on if they admitted they took stuff and don't any more....like Giambi.
I was watching the Canadian news and the majority of reporters didn't believe the report. They called Mitchell a political capital in Washington able to run around Congress and as a result keep Congress's back off of MLB. Well, it is nice that the investigation document is available to us all, but you gotta wonder if it's all just a public relations move by MLB in order to save it's face. Even Mitchell mildly accused owners of not being strict and suspicious because there was money at stake...I don't know. I will always remember McGuire and Bonds and Sosa hitting 60 and 70 home runs and I would be a liar to say I didn't enjoy those days and those days were real and there is no taking them away....Now, I hope there is more triples in baseball and more complete games as maybe pitchers get an advantage or batters lose their bigger advantage in the post stuff time. HGH is still out there, but this investigation will keep players from taking the risk I think.
Players are not being tested for HGH so Gagne could still be taking it. And any player could clear their names quite easily by taking a polygraph.
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